Sexual Harassment and its Impact Among Women Students with Disabilities in Ethiopian Universities
Contenido principal del artículo
Resumen
This study explores the intersectional oppressions driving sexual harassment among women students with disabilities in Ethiopian universities, utilizing narrative interviews with twelve participants. The findings revealed a range of sexual harassment, including verbal and nonverbal conduct such as unwanted jokes, physical contact, sex requests for support, and rape attempts. Structural drivers intersect with poverty, disability, gender, and attitudinal problems, causing intersectional vulnerability. The participant women highlight hesitance to report harassment due to stigma, lack of support, peers and staff distrust, and fears of losing assistance. Consequently, they found themselves between survival and safety, which significantly influences their coping strategies. The article argues that the double bind illustrates the need to shift the focus toward institutional responsibilities and commitments in addressing intersectional marginalization and fostering inclusive environments.
Descargas
Detalles del artículo

Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 4.0.
Esta es una publicación bajo la licencia Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC- ND 4.0). Para mayor información sobre el uso no comercial de los contenidos que aquí aparecen, favor de consultar http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Citas
Ahmed, Sara. 2021. Complaint!, Durham, Duke University Press.
Andrew Landman, Roderick. 2014. “‘A Counterfeit Friendship’: Mate Crime and People with Learning Disabilities”, The Journal of Adult Protection, vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 355-366. doi: 10.1108/JAP-10-2013-0043
Asres, Getachew Walelign. 2019. “Administrative and Social Support Services for Students with Disabilities in the Selected Higher Education Institutions of Amhara Regional State-Ethiopia”, Public Policy and Administration Research. doi: 10.7176/PPAR/9-1-03.
Athanasiades, Christina, Dimitrios Stamovlasis, Thanos Touloupis and Hara Charalambous. 2023. University Students’ Experiences of Sexual Harassment: The Role of Gender and Psychological Resilience”, Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 14. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1202241.
Bowers Andrews, Arlene and Lois J. Veronen. 1993. “Sexual Assault and People with Disabilities”, Journal of Social Work & Human Sexuality, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 137-159. doi: 10.1300/J291v08n02_08.
Christensen, Ann-Dorte and Sune Qvotrup Jensen. 2012. “Doing Intersectional Analysis: Methodological Implications for Qualitative Research”, NORA - Nordic Journal of Feminist and Gender Research, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 109-125. doi: 10.1080/08038740.2012.673505.
Cole, Sandra S. 1984. “Facing the Challenges of Sexual Abuse in Persons With Disabilities”, Sexuality and Disability, vol. 7, no. 3-4, pp. 71-88. doi: 10.1007/BF01102612.
Collins, Patricia Hill. 2000. Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment, New York, Routledge.
Collins, Patricia Hill. 2015. “Intersectionality’s Definitional Dilemmas”, Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 1-20. doi: 10.1146/annurev-soc-073014-112142.
Crenshaw, Kimberle. 1989. “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics”, U. Chi. Legal F., vol. 139.
Crusto, Cindy A., Lisa M. Hooper and Ishita S. Arora. 2024. “Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education: A Framework for Prevention Science Program Development”, Journal of Prevention, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 501-520. doi: 10.1007/s10935-024-00780-4.
Dey, Semonti. 2024. “Asian International Students’ Barriers to Reporting Sexual Harassment Incidents”, Journal of International Students, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 902-918. doi: 10.32674/jis.v14i4.6711.
Dunne, Máiréad, Sara Humphreys and Fiona Leach. 2006. Gender Violence in Schools in the Developing World”, Gender and Education, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 75-98. doi: 10.1080/09540250500195143.
Dutta, Sampurnaa. 2015. “Discrimination Generated by the Intersection of Gender and Disability”, IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. Ver. VI 33 36. doi: 10.9790/0853-14663336.
Erevelles, Nirmala. 2011. Disability and Difference in Global Contexts, New York, Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9781137001184.
Etherington, Cole, Isabel Braganca Rodrigues, Lora Giangregorio, Ian D.Graham, Alison M. Hoens, Danielle Kasperavicius, Christine Kelly, Julia E. Moore, Matteo Ponzano, Justin Presseau, Kathryn M. Sibley, and Sharon Straus. 2020. “Applying an Intersectionality Lens to the Theoretical Domains Framework: A Tool for Thinking About How Intersecting Social Identities and Structures of Power Influence Behaviour”, BMC Medical Research Methodology, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1-13. doi: 10.1186/s12874-020-01056-1.
Fitzgerald, Louise F., Fritz Drasgow, Charles L. Hulin, Michele J. Gelfand and Vicki J. Magley. 1997. “Antecedents and Consequences of Sexual Harassment in Organizations: A Test of an Integrated Model”, Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 82, no. 4, pp. 578-589. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.82.4.578.
Friedman, Joseph, Jennifer L. Syvertsen, Philippe Bourgois, Alex Bui, Leo Beletsky and Robin Pollini. 2021. “Intersectional Structural Vulnerability to Abusive Policing Among People Who Inject Drugs: A Mixed Methods Assessment in California’s Central Valley”, International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 87. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102981.
Guarderas-Albuja, Paz, Marcos Zumárraga-Espinosa, Ximena Ramírez-Ocaña and Johanna Luzuriaga. 2025. “The Aftermath of Campus Sexual Harassment: Psychological and Academic Effects”, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, vol. 81. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2025.100748.
Gyawali, Kalpana and Sarasawati Karki. 2023. “Effects of Sexual Harassment on Learning Activities and Coping Strategies among University Girl Students”, ILAM इलम, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 48-59. doi: 10.3126/ilam.v19i1.58550.
Hancock, Ange-Marie. 2007. “Intersectionality as a Normative and Empirical Paradigm”, Politics & Gender, vol. 3, no. 2. doi: 10.1017/S1743923X07000062.
Johnson, John M. and Timothy Rowlands. 2012. “The Interpersonal Dynamics of In-Depth Interviewing”, in Jaber F. Gubrium, James A. Holstein, Amir B. Marvasti and Karyn D. McKinney, The SAGE Handbook of Interview Research: The Complexity of the Craft, Sage, pp. 99-114. doi: 10.4135/9781452218403.n7
Kang, Sonia K. y Galen V. Bodenhausen. 2015. “Multiple Identities in Social Perception and Interaction: Challenges and Opportunities”, Annual Review of Psychology vol. 66, pp. 547-574. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015025
Katsui, Hisayo and Mina C. Mojtahedi. 2015. “Intersection of Disability and Gender: Multi-Layered Experiences of Ethiopian Women With Disabilities”, Development in Practice, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 563-573. doi: 10.1080/09614524.2015.1031085.
Kim, Bung-Nyun, Subin Park and Min-Hyeon Park. 2017. “The Relationship of Sexual Abuse with Self-Esteem, Depression, and Problematic Internet Use in Korean Adolescents”, Psychiatry Investigation, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 372-375. doi: 10.4306/pi.2017.14.3.372.
Ludvig, Alice. 2006. “Differences Between Women? Intersecting Voices in a Female Narrative”, European Journal of Women’s Studies, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 245-258. doi: 10.1177/1350506806065755
Lykke, Nina. 2010. Feminist Studies: A Guide to Intersectional Theory, Methodology and Writing. Routledge Advances in Feminist Studies and Intersectionality, New York, Routledge.
Mersha, Yeshimebrat, Alemayehu Bishaw and Firew Tegegne. 2013. “Factors Affecting Female Students’ Academic Achievement at Bahir Dar University”, Journal of International Cooperation in Education, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 135-148. Available at <https://cice.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/publications/15-3/15-3-08.pdf>.
Morley, Louise. 2003. Quality and Power in Higher Education, Buckingham, Open University Press.
Mullu, Getachew, Ayu Gizachew, Desalegne Amare, Animut Alebel, Fasil Wagnew, Chalachew Tiruneh, Mulat Worku, Rhama Kediri, Sanbato Tamiru and Temesgen Demsie. 2015. “Prevalence of Gender Based Violence and Associated Factors among Female Students of Menkorer High School in Debre Markos Town, Northwest Ethiopia”, Science Journal of Public Health, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 67-74. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.22
Museus, Samuel D. and Kimberly A. Griffin. 2011. “Mapping the Margins in Higher Education: On the Promise of Intersectionality Frameworks in Research and Discourse”, New Directions for Institutional Research, vol. 151, pp. 5-13. doi: 10.1002/ir.395
Nosek, Margaret A., Catherine Clubb Foley, Rosemary B. Hughes and Carol A. Howland. 2001. “Vulnerabilities for Abuse Among Women with Disabilities”, Sexuality and Disability, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 177-189. doi: 10.1023/A:1013152530758
Okeke, Nkechi Uzochukwu, Elizabeth Ifeoma Anierobi and Anthony Obinna Ezennaka. 2021. “Impact of Sexual Harassment on Psychosocial Adjustment of Female Undergraduate Students in Higher Institutions in Anambra State”, Social Sciences and Education Research Review, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 198-215. doi: 10.5281/zenodo.5090792
Oyetunji-Alemede, Catherine and Oluwakemi Omole. 2014. “Sexual Harassment and Psychological Consequence among Students in Higher Education Institution in Osun State, Nigeria”, International Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 13-18. doi: 10.5923/j.ijap.20140401.02
Ramos, Margarida M.C., Marta Reis,Telma C. Almeida and Jorge Cardoso. 2025. “Sexual Harassment in Higher Education Students”, Medical Sciences Forum, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 12. doi: 10.3390/msf2025037012
Sable, Marjorie, Fran Danis, Denise L. Mauzy and Sarah K. Gallagher. 2006. “Barriers to Reporting Sexual Assault for Women and Men: Perspectives of College Students”, Journal of American College Health, vol. 55, no. 3, pp. 157-62. doi: 10.3200/JACH.55.3.157-162
Semela, Tesfaye. 2006. “Higher Education Expansion and the Gender Question in Ethiopia: A Case Study of Women in a Public University”, The Ethiopian Journal of Higher Education, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 63-86.
Sivabalan, Tharshini, Faizah Haji Mas’ud and Dolly Paul Carlo. 2022. “Mate Crime Victimisation Against People with Disabilities: An Exploratory Study in Sarawak, Malaysia”, Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 501-515. doi: 10.47836/pjssh.30.2.05
Tadesse, Tefera, Catherine Manathunga and Robyn Gillies. 2018. “Making Sense of Quality Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in Ethiopia: Unfolding Existing Realities for Future Promises”, Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, vol. 15, no. 1. doi: 10.53761/1.15.1.3
Tebeje, Molla and Denise Cuthbert. 2014. “Qualitative Inequality: Experiences of Women in Ethiopian Higher Education”, Gender and Education, vol. 26, no. 7, pp. 759-775. doi: 10.1080/09540253.2014.970614
Tirussew, Tefera, Bekele Yirgashewa, Daniel Desta, Alemayehu Teklemariam, Fantahun Admas, Sewalem Tsega and Tilahun Achaw. 2014. “Assessment of the Situation of Students with Disabilities in The Ethiopian Universities” [unpublished raw data]. Available at <https://respondher.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/p_respond_her/students_with_disabilities_ethiopian_universities_16_11_2014.pdf>.
Vernon, Ayesha. 1999. “The Dialectics of Multiple Identities and the Disabled People’s Movement”, Disability & Society, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 385-398. doi: 10.1080/09687599926217
Vickerman, Philip and Milly Blundell. 2010. “Hearing the Voices of Disabled Students in Higher Education”, Disability & Society, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 21-32. doi: 10.1080/09687590903363290
Vohlídalová, Marta. 2015. “Coping Strategies for Sexual Harassment in Higher Education: ‘An Official Action May Harm you in the End More than if Someone Slaps your Butt’”, Sociológia - Slovak Sociological Review, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 297-316. Available at <http://www.sav.sk/journals/uploads/06291133Vohlidalova%20-%20zalomena_MV.pdf>.
Wood, Leila, Sharon Hoefer, Matt Kammer-Kerwick, José Rubén Parra-Cardona and Noël Busch-Armendariz. 2021. “Sexual Harassment at Institutions of Higher Education: Prevalence, Risk, and Extent”, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 36, no. 9-10, pp. 4520-4544. doi: 10.1177/0886260518791228
Young, Ellie L. and Linda M. Raffaele Mendez. 2008. “The Mental Health Professional’s Role in Understanding, Preventing, and Responding to Student Sexual Harassment”, Journal of Applied School Psychology, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 7-23. doi: 10.1300/J008v19n02_02